Buy used!

 Update: I need to add library or nonprofit sales!  Our library has monthly sales.  Churches and even hospital systems have terrific sales.  Sorry I didn’t think of this sooner.  I just came from the library and there was a sale.

I’m a big fan of used science and educational materials.  Let me share a few ideas for deals.  One tip…think creatively.  Don’t limit yourself to books.  Look for instructional DVDs, test and solution manuals, Chemistry kits, scientific calculators, and math manipulatives.  Whenever possible, buy used.  

1.  Host a Co-op swap.  Our Co-op has a large swap at the Fall picnic.  Families bring textbooks and teaching tools, such as math tiles.  All of us have books we no longer use.  Clean out your home classrooms.

2.  Shop Good Will, online or at local store.  Better yet, try local thrift stores.  Our church hosts a thrift store.  Home-schoolers visit often.  I shop for educational materials such as graphing calculators online at Goodwill.  I’ve gotten the best deals for used science kits from Good Will—more than eBay or Amazon.

3.  Compare used textbook prices on a Google search.  ThriftBooks, Abebooks, Better World Books have their own web sites and list on eBay and Amazon.  Books are overpriced at Good Will online, especially with shipping.  

4.  Avoid used electronics.  I have had good luck with used calculators, less so with Kindles, microscopes, or laptops.  I look for sales, such as Prime or Black Friday instead.  Amazon’s iPad sales can be exceptional.  

I’ve had the best luck buying used books from ThriftBooks and used calculators from Good Will online.  Most of the used science kits were also purchased from Good Will online—even the MicroChem kits.  But, I still do loads of comparative searches before I buy.